


Snow Angels

by modorenai



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:12:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8846404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modorenai/pseuds/modorenai
Summary: MikoTata Week 2016 Prompt 1 - Cold/snow/winter games (ice skating/snow ball fights/any)
Tatara decides that he needs to teach Anna how to make snow angels. Poor hapless Mikoto gets dragged along.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm almost a week late, but here's my fic for the first prompt for this year's MikoTata week! I've been struggling abit with the prompts since I'm not really a Christmassy person, so I think I may not be able to complete all the prompts this year. (Not as if I have ever managed to finish any of the previous years' prompts. ^_^;;) But I'll do my best to write as many of them as I can this year, even if they may be horribly overdue!

When Anna woke up, she knew that something about the world around her was different. The air smelled fresh and clean, and there was a crispness to it that hadn't been there the night before. Climbing out of bed, she picked up a red marble from her bedside table and walked over to the window. Peeking cautiously through the curtains with the red marble held up to her right eye, she confirmed her suspicions - it had snowed heavily overnight, and the street below lay covered with a blanket of thick white snow that glittered in the light of the harsh morning sun. Winter had come to Shizume City.

As Anna gazed down at the sparkling scenery before her, she realised why, even though she had woken up to a similar scene so many times before in the past, it had felt so different this time - it was Anna's first winter since she had become a member of HOMRA.

 

 ===================

"Good morning Anna!" Tatara waved cheerfully at Anna from his seat at the bar as she descended the staircase and walked over to join him. "Kusanagi-san's in the kitchen making your pancakes now," he added, smiling as she pulled herself up on the bar stool next to him.

"Good morning," she replied quietly, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. She still wasn't used to the idea that this would be her life from now on, that she would no longer have to wake up every morning in fear of whatever new horrible experiment Mizuchi would subject her too, but that instead she would find herself waking up peacefully every day in a warm and comforting place that she had been asked to make her home.

Home. The word tasted strange on her tongue. She had long forgotten what home with her parents had felt like, and although she loved Honami, the times she had been allowed to leave the hospital to spend time with her aunt were so rare that she could barely remember what the interior of her aunt's apartment had looked like. It didn't help that the after effects of Mizuchi's 'hospital checkups' had always lingered with her like a haze clouding her perception until there were some days where she couldn't tell whether she was really awake or simply dreaming. Perhaps she was dreaming even now, dreaming in an imaginary world that she had created in order to escape from the harsh reality of Mizuchi's experiments. 

She could feel Tatara looking at her thoughtfully, but she kept silent, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. She had never needed to talk much before with Mizuchi - the scientist had loved the sound of his own voice, and had kept himself occupied while carrying out his experiments with his one-sided ramblings. The only times Anna had been required to talk was when he had asked her questions, and her answers had often been followed by increasing levels of pain until she soon grew to hate the sound of her own voice. She had tried to talk as little as she could after that. 

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tatara suddenly break into a smile as he reached over to clasp Anna's cold hands in his. She was surprised to find that she didn't flinch away from his touch instinctively like whenever other strangers touched her. But maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised - she liked being next to Tatara. It wasn't the same as the warm protective bubble of heat that enclosed her whenever she was by Mikoto's side, but Tatara's aura always made her feel like she was enfolded in a calm and gentle embrace. 

"It snowed last night, want to go outside and make some snow angels?" Tatara asked brightly as he rubbed Anna's hands between his palms as if to warm them.

"Snow angels?"

"Have you not made snow angels before, Anna?"

Anna shook her head.

"All right, let's go outside and I'll show you how then! It won't take long and we'll probably be done by the time Kusanagi-san's done with your pancakes. It'll help you work up an appetite! King, you'll come along with us too right?" Tatara dropped Anna's hands and swiveled around on his bar stool to face a sleepy Mikoto walking sluggishly down the stairs.

"Ah?" Mikoto grunted, managing to sound both confused and annoyed at the same time. It was a sound that Anna was beginning to realise Mikoto made a lot whenever he was around Tatara.

"It's settled then! Anna, let's bundle you up in something nice and warm and then the three of us will be on our way!" Ignoring Mikoto's sharp glare, Tatara hopped off his stool and bustled Anna up the stairs. As she was whisked away to her room, Anna thought she heard an exasperated sigh floating up from below before the door closed behind them.

===================

"So, Anna, what you do is that you lie down flat on your back on the snow like this, and then you stretch out both of your arms to your sides like this. Then you wave your arms up and down on the snow a few times like so, and that'll create the wings for your angel. Like this, see?" Tatara picked himself up from where he lay on the snow covered ground after finishing his demonstration, and carefully jumped to the side so as not to disturb the outline of his handiwork. Anna's eyes grew wide as she gazed at the imprint Tatara's body had left behind. It was simple but somehow also beautiful, almost as if an angel had indeed fallen from heaven and had chosen to grace the people with its presence by leaving its mark on the otherwise untouched snow before them.

The three of them had taken a short walk to the tiny playground that was tucked behind a corner of one of the winding roads branching off from the main street that led to Bar HOMRA. The playground was a remnant of a time when the area had once been a vibrant and bustling residential area populated mostly by couples with young children, until the bursting of the bubble economy had led to many families being forced to move out, and the area had soon been taken over by residents from the less savoury parts of Shizume City. Due to the playground's obscure location and the fact that many parents forbade their children from wandering around the area after it had fallen into disrepute, the snow that blanketed this playground was thick and fresh, not having been subjected to the indignity of being trampled down to slush by scores of children running amok. As Tatara had merrily declared, that made this place the perfect choice for educating HOMRA's new princess on the finer ways of creating timeless pieces of art out of transient frozen crystals.

"Come on Anna, you try too!" Tatara beckoned encouragingly, pointing to the ground next to his snow angel. Obediently, Anna lay down on the snow and closed her eyes. She had expected to feel cold lying on the snow, but Tatara had done a more than adequate job in picking out her winter clothes when they had gone shopping together last week, and instead she felt warm and insulated from the cold in her winter jacket, with her red woollen scarf keeping the snow from creeping down her collar as it sat snugly around her neck.

She breathed in, feeling her body relax as she sank further into the snow, imagining herself as a caterpillar curled up in the silky darkness of its cocoon, dreaming of the day when it would break free and become a beautiful butterfly. She could feel the intense heat of Mikoto's aura reaching out towards her as he walked over to stand beside Tatara, could feel it settle down into a warm steady thrumming as the cool whispers of Tatara's aura curled delicately around his, could feel their warm flames entwining her gently as they looked down at her quietly.

"Anna," Tatara murmured softly. "You're OK now." 

She knew he wasn't just referring to her snow angel. Breathing out, Anna finally opened her eyes, stretched out her arms to her sides and began to unfurl her wings.

===================

"Oh come on King, that's not how you make a snow angel! You've got to move your arms!" Tatara complained, pushing ineffectively at Mikoto's shoulder. Mikoto was lying immobile on the snow like a log with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep, refusing to so much as crack open an eye no matter how much Tatara poked and prodded at him. 

"Come on Anna, you try to convince him too!" Tatara begged.

From her spot sitting a few feet away from the sleeping king and his nagging vassal, Anna shook her head. Mikoto's aura was warm and content, and it didn't seem like he wanted to move any time soon. Trying to get him to do so would only be useless.

"Not fair, Anna! You're always on King's side!" Tatara pouted. Anna felt the corner of her mouth twitch slightly.

Rocking back on his heels in frustration, Tatara glared down sulkily at his slumbering liege. 

There was a sudden "thwomp!" sound behind them, and Tatara and Anna twisted around sharply to see where it had come from. A tree branch, bent nearly double from the heavy snow piled on top of it, wobbled slightly as yet another lump of snow slowly slid off it its leaves and thudded to the ground below. 

Staring at the creaking branch, a mischievous grin suddenly lit up Tatara's face. Catching Anna's eye, Tatara touched a finger to his lips, and then scooped up a handful of snow with his free hand. Holding his hand high in the air above Mikoto's face, he loosened his fingers slowly and let the snow trickle down onto the other man's face.

Mikoto's nose twitched.

Grinning, Tatara grabbed another handful of snow. Again he let the snow fall through his fingers and onto the snoozing man's face.

Mikoto snorted, eyes still closed. Tatara felt the air around them start to shimmer with heat. Realising what was happening, he yelled, "No, King! You can't use your flames! That's cheating!" 

The words had barely left his mouth when there was a sudden burst of red flames and Mikoto disappeared from view.

Tatara blinked.

"King?" He scrambled over to the gaping hole in the snow where Mikoto had been last seen and cautiously peered over the edge. His shoulders began to shake as Anna stared at him worriedly. Then he doubled over and began howling with laughter.

Curious, Anna ran over to see what Tatara had found so amusing.

There, sitting at the bottom of a mini crater that looked to be at least three metres deep, was a very disgruntled looking Mikoto, rubbing his head from where he had bumped it. Mikoto had somehow managed to burn away not only the snow around him, but also a heck lot of soil underneath him as well. Tatara wasn't even sure how that had been possible.

"Oh my god King, you look like a frog in a well!" Tatara wheezed, clutching at his sides. Mikoto gazed up sourly at him in silence. Anna's mouth twitched again. Mikoto's eyes flicked to her in annoyance and she smoothed down the corners of her mouth as she looked away primly, Tatara's loud guffaws continuing to ring through the crisp winter air. 

After Tatara had finally managed to stop laughing, he lay down prone at the edge of the crater and reached out a hand to Mikoto. "Come on King, can you try climbing up a little? If you can gain enough height maybe I'll be able to pull you out. Otherwise I may need to find a rope we can use to hoist you up."

Throwing a final look of disgust at Tatara's mirthful face, Mikoto dug his hands and feet into the sides of the crater and began to climb until he was high enough to reach out to the younger man. There was a slight pause as Mikoto contemplated the outstretched hand before him. Then, as Mikoto's hand clamped down onto Tatara's wrist, he looked up at Tatara with a smirk.

_Uh oh._ Tatara's stomach sank. Before he could snatch his hand away, Mikoto had pulled him forcefully towards him. With a shriek, Tatara tumbled down into the hole and fell straight into Mikoto's waiting arms... arms built like a steel vise that immediately crushed Tatara in a stranglehold so painful that Tatara regretted the day he'd ever been born.

"All right all right I give up, I give up, I give up! I'm sorry King! I shouldn't have done that! I'm really really sorry! I won't ever do it again, I promise! Pleaaaaaase let go of me I can't breatheeeeeee!" Tatara flailed as he tried to prise himself out of his king's iron grip, the palm of his hand hitting the ground on which he sat frantically in a gesture of surrender. Mikoto let him struggle in agony for another minute more before he finally released his hold around Tatara's neck. Punishment satisfactorily inflicted, Mikoto settled down onto his back and closed his eyes.

"What, you mean you're STILL gonna continue sleeping here after all that?" Tatara asked incredulously, rubbing his throat ruefully as turned around to look at Mikoto. Despite how big the hole had looked from the top, the space they were in was rather cramped, and with Mikoto stretched out like that, there was barely any space for Tatara to tuck himself in comfortably next to Mikoto. Instead, he had no choice but to scoot over to sit on Mikoto's outstretched legs, his own knees drawn up to his chest in order to avoid kicking the other man in the face.

Mikoto opened his eyes and gave Tatara a _Look_. "All right, all right. You win. I won't say anything further." Tatara grumbled. Mikoto simply gave another smirk in response as he shut his eyes again. It looked like they weren't going to be climbing out of the hole any time soon. With a resigned sigh, Tatara decided that if he was in for a long wait, he might as well make himself comfortable. He was already starting to get pins and needles in his left leg from sitting in his current balled up position. Twisting around to lie down on his side, Tatara squirmed around until he had placed his head comfortably on Mikoto's chest. Without opening his eyes, Mikoto automatically brought an arm up to sling around around Tatara's shoulders. Tatara closed his eyes, savouring the heat emanating from Mikoto's body like a hot water bottle. The steady thrumming of Mikoto's heartbeat was loud in his ears, so loud and overpowering that for a moment Tatara thought it could drown out the words that had been lingering at the back of his mind ever since the day Anna had uttered them to him when they first met.

_If you stay by his side, you won't live for very long._

"King?" Tatara said softly. Mikoto gave an enquiring grunt.

"... I wish we could stay like this forever," he whispered.

Mikoto didn't answer, but Tatara felt himself being pulled closer towards Mikoto's chest. Smiling to himself, Tatara buried his face in the fur ruff of Mikoto's jacket.

"Mikoto? Tatara? Are you hurt?" Anna's worried voice suddenly floated down from above. 

"We're fine, Anna! Sorry for worrying you!" Breaking out of his reverie, Tatara pushed himself up and turned around to look at the pale face peering down at them. And then, stretching out his arms towards her, Tatara beckoned, "Want to jump in too? I'll catch you!"  

Looking down at Tatara's smiling face and Mikoto's nonchalant one, at the two people who had given her a "home", Anna didn't even have to think twice before she stretched out her own arms to her sides and leapt. 

===================

They lay like that for awhile, the three of them curled up comfortably against each other as they dozed off, until they were abruptly woken up by the enraged yells of a rampaging Izumo who demanded to know why his two idiot best friends had kidnapped HOMRA's princess right before breakfast and then proceeded to bury her three metres deep in mud and slush with nary a thought to the health and fragile emotional well-being of a growing child.

As Anna peeked around Izumo's coat, clamped into place by his side as he held her protectively while he berated and lectured the two kneeling and visibly wilting men before him on the irresponsibilities of subjecting a young and defenseless girl to the dangers of hypothermia, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards again until finally, Anna smiled.  


End file.
